If it weren't for the modern technology of hearing aids, one of the newest members of the University of Manitoba Bisons football team wouldn't be able to hear those sounds.

Something special

Toshio Nishimura, who will graduate from Kelvin High School this spring, has accomplished something special this spring by being recruited by Bisons head coach Brian Dobie -- despite being born with moderate to severe hearing loss.

"For me, it is accomplishing something big," Nishimura said earlier this week. "I joined football as some scrawny kid, and look where I've come since then, even with a disability.

"Working through it and getting to this level is something I'm pretty proud of."

Nishimura is a defensive back, and he was a star for the Kelvin Clippers. He was the team captain for his final two seasons, and he was its MVP last fall when he recorded 47 tackles, three knockdowns, a sack and a fumble recovery.

The most impressive part of Nishimura's resume, however, might be the trophies he took home from last fall's Winnipeg High School Football League awards dinner.

He won the John Potter/D'Arcy Bain Award for planning to further both his education and football at a higher level, and he also snagged the Jim Foubister Award for his performance, sportsmanship, teamwork and character.

Bisons head coach Brian Dobie wasn't aware of Nishimura's hearing problem when he began recruiting him, but that didn't stop him from doing so.

"This kid is a great kid," Dobie said. "When we had him out at our winter workouts, we were amazed. We were very impressed with his speed and his size, and then, wow, with his skill level, it was a no-brainer for us."

In fact, Bisons defensive back David Hewson, who was selected by the Calgary Stampeders in Thursday's CFL Canadian college draft and also attended Kelvin, told Dobie that Nishimura is a much better player than he was when he entered university.

Nishimura will red-shirt this fall and join the roster for the 2006 season.

Nishimura can hear well during everyday life thanks to two hearing aids. On the football field, however, it's a different story.

"Sometimes it affects me during a game," Nishimura said. "A lot of times coaches are screaming things from the sideline, and I just don't notice in the fray, I guess, what's going on. It's frustrating sometimes, because sometimes you don't hear what the coaches say, and they can get mad at you. They understand later, of course, but I might do something completely opposite from what they wanted me to do.

"I really have to listen, and sometimes I guess that's better, because I pay a lot more attention to what's going on around me. ... Sometimes it's not always a bad thing."

The fact that Nishimura works with the Deaf Awareness Society and visits schools to do presentations on hearing disabilities says a lot about his character.

The fact that he's competing against players eight years his senior this weekend at the Bisons spring camp says even more.

"He's a very intelligent kid. He's highly motivated," Dobie said. "He's got all the right things, and because of his character, there's no question he'll overcome all of those things (associated with his hearing loss).

"He already has to get here. We're loving him."

By Kirk Penton